Specialized has introduced a new third-tier Aethos frame to make its throwback, round-tubed, externally routed road bike more affordable.
The Aethos 9r frameset is the basis for the new Specialized Aethos Sport, built with a Shimano 105 mechanical groupset for £3,250 / €3,800 (not available in the US).
An updated version of the Aethos Comp, with Shimano 105 Di2, also uses the 9r frame, having previously used the 10r frame. The Specialized Aethos Comp now costs £4,250 / $4,500 / €4,800.
The new Aethos 9r frameset retains the same ‘traditional’ silhouette as the existing Aethos 10r and S-Works framesets, but increases the weight.
While Specialized hasn’t revealed the weight of the 9r frame specifically, the Aethos Sport comes in at a claimed 7.8kg for a size-56cm bike, while the Aethos Comp now weighs a claimed 7.5kg.
Re-introducing the Aethos
The Specialized S-Works Aethos was originally launched in October 2020, following the release of the Tarmac SL7
The Tarmac SL7 combined Specialized’s race bikes into one platform, with the long-standing Tarmac – historically a lightweight/all-round race bike – getting an aero makeover, and the brand’s dedicated aero bike, the Venge, being discontinued.
With that, the Aethos arrived as something of an antidote to the aero tubes and integrated routing now found on pretty much every race bike.
While the cables/hydraulic hoses run internally through the frame, they remain external from the two-piece cockpit. The Aethos’ tubes are also round and the seatpost clamp is external. Oh, and the S-Works frame came in at a claimed 585g in a size 56cm.
If you wanted a performance-focused bike that harked back to the 2010s, the Aethos was it, but it came at a cost – from £10,750 / $12,500 at the time of launch.
Trickling down
As is usually the case with new releases, Specialized followed the S-Works Aethos launch with the introduction of a second-tier Aethos frame, with the 10r increasing the weight from 585g to a claimed 699g.
That 10r frame is now being offered by Specialized as a frameset-only option for £3,500 / $3,000 / €4,000.
The new 9r frame brings a third tier to the Aethos line-up and lowers the entry point to the range.
While the 10r was the original basis of the Specialized Aethos Comp we reviewed in 2021, that model will be based around the 9r chassis for 2024, dropping the price from £5,000 in the UK to £4,250 ($4,500 / €4,800).
Indeed, if you wanted to buy an Aethos in the UK in 2023, the existing Aethos Comp was the lowest-priced option at £5,000, while, at the other end, the range sky-rockets all the way up to the £15,000 S-Works Aethos Campagnolo Ltd.
At £3,250, the new Aethos Sport is the most affordable Aethos yet – and may appeal to riders who want an uncomplicated bike that still has an element of modernity – but we can hear you at the back: ‘Three grand for a road bike with a third-tier groupset?!’.
While we don’t need to tell you again about price rises across the industry over the past couple of years, the Aethos Sport is, broadly speaking, in the right ballpark currently.
The Giant TCR Advanced Disc 2, also with mechanical Shimano 105, costs £2,499, though we’d bet the TCR is due an update. Trek’s Emonda SL 5 Disc, also with 12-speed mechanical 105, was priced at £2,700 when we reviewed it last year.
Entering its fourth year, the Aethos frameset may also be due an overhaul, though where Specialized takes this one next is anyone’s guess.
